About this playlist

Do you feel increasingly alienated by the endless onslaught of teen-pop Next Big Things as they rise and fall with unsettling rapidity? Don't despair; it doesn't mean there's no place for you to turn in today's pop music universe. There's still plenty out there these days for those who like their pop with a little more meat on its bones, and a little more, let's say, maturity to its melodic maneuvers. In fact, this is an especially fertile period for the kind of pop tunes that could easily earn parental approval, either for their fealty to old-school musical values or their creation by undeniably adult artists. Not only have recent weeks brought new work by the likes of Elton John, Sting, Sheryl Crow and Paul McCartney -- there also seems to be a renaissance of up-and-comers like Haim who pay homage to pop's past while pushing it forward. So don't feel bad if the latest underage sensation leaves you unsatisfied, here's a whole heap of tracks geared for more grown-up ears.